An Oddity in the Force
by Astral Miscreant IV
Summary: She just could not understand. One moment she was bartering her catch of the day in Niima outpost and the next thing she knew, she was being bombarded by two figures draped in Jedi robes. AU in which Rey is born under the same circumstances, however in a different era—an era where the Republic is still at its pinnacle, moreover, where a new journey awaits...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All rights belong to George Lucas and Disney respectively.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust**

 _"And I still have other smothered memories, now unfolding themselves into limbless monsters of pain."_

* * *

Jakku. It was a barren, ruinous wasteland located in a remote region within the Western Reaches that orbited closely to a red sun that scorched warmly on its best days and burned oppressively on its worst. Its dry heat swirled endlessly day and night, desiccating all things in its path in a never-ending maelstrom of fiery gusts of wind and rough sandy landscapes that had stretched out in a seemingly infinite dusky void. Just as dry and turbulent as its environment were its people who had managed to outlast the test of the time in such an unbearable planet through long years of suffering, acclimating, and finally evolving in its unforgiving climate.

Jakku—it was the desert wasteland planet famous for being the pinnacle of trading and interplanetary business. Jakku, it was home. Its relentless heat was what blanketed her in comfort like a warm thermal sheath of peace and tranquility. Its dry, parched lands were what padded the soles of her aching feet as she traversed the wastelands to scavenge for anything she could find. Its harsh and grim-faced people were what hardened her heart, what shaped her soul in order for her to endure and thrive to ultimately become the woman she was today. Jakku was home.

Now the once comforting sight of a blazing sun scintillating in all its malignant glory and the myriad hilltops of sand that burned like hot coals was gone, replaced with a cold metal ship even more oppressive than Jakku's legendary heat that surrounded her entirety, enclosing her like a caged bird— _like a prisoner._ Along with the cold, metal starship, came the sight of a vast landscape of space that stretched on like an endless void.

"I want to go home," she muttered harshly as she rubbed at the manacles that tied her down to the cramped starship's co-pilot chair.

The man next to her, the ship's pilot, quirked an inquisitive brow. "Surely, you don't wish to return back to those hellish wastelands," he murmured in resolution.

"I have to go back, please, I have to," she said quietly. "I don't understand why I'm being taken prisoner for not having wronged anyone, I...I haven't done anything against the Galactic Order, to-to The Republic, I mean... I haven't even done anything that could be considered incriminating in my entire life and yet..."

The man seemed unfazed as he continued to pilot the starship and gazed ahead, his dark brown eyes seemingly fixated at the streak of stars flying past them in hyperdrive.

"Yet, you pluck me from my home and treat me as if I'm a criminal.." Rey finished off as her now glassy eyes shifted downcast looking at nothing in particular—looking at anything but the solemn Jedi who piloted the ship with a frown that never left his countenance from the moment she met him.

"You are no prisoner, believe me—" he began and she looked at him pointedly with her gaze shifting towards her bindings.

He sighed. "Those handcuffs are to protect you from yourself... From trying to break free and escape to those wastelands again, or from preventing you to get any funny ideas about fighting your way out."

"So, essentially I am a prisoner. Don't sugarcoat it, Jedi."

"I have reiterated time and time again that you are to address me as Master Windu, not Jedi, not Sir Jedi, not Mister Jedi, nor Sir Baldman," he finished off distastefully.

She tried to hide her smirk at his last words and pressed her lips in a thin line. "Regardless, I want to go home."

"No."

She sighed and threw her head back in frustration. "But, why? Why are you forcing me away from my home, what did I do to have wronged you so?"

She just could not understand. One moment she was bartering her catch of the day—an external combustion engine from scraps she found off a broken starfighter left in ruins from the separatist settlement a few miles away in the badlands—in Niima outpost, a trading post where merchants from across the galaxy would sell and trade their goods, and then some idiotic merchant's child had tried to pickpocket her earnings and she had gotten so frustrated that something came over her. All of a sudden, the bag of two hundred druggats she had rightfully earned had slipped out of the Crolute child's hands and flew towards Rey within seconds. She was stunned, for something like that had never occurred before, regardless how strongly her emotions would fluctuate from time to time.

She felt a pulling within her core, as if some untouched coils had finally ignited causing the proverbial cogs to turn. That feeling within incited a strong force to overcome her, one that she could not fully comprehend for it felt so intangible and foreign. Then, she was thrust into some dark evocation, a memory of a young girl crying out towards her beloved family as they left her stranded on a wasteland. She cried and cried until her little voice grew hoarse. And then Rey blinked and the image was gone, she was back in Niima outpost standing dumbfounded like a fool.

However, the next thing she knew, she was being bombarded by two figures draped in Jedi robes, one whom had been a human much like herself and the other who was a female that bore the physical features of a Chalactan. At first, she was not surprised that the Jedi Order would be visiting Jakku, knowing that the Separatists had recently established an outpost to manufacture droids within the Goazan Badlands just a little ways north off the Niima outpost. But when they started to coerce her, then that was when she felt a little apprehension form in her gut. For what would two people hailing from the legendary Jedi Order want with a mere scavenger much like herself?

Then they had to go and tell her nonsense. Nonsense, such as the idea of them having felt her presence within the force and what was worse, they had the unmitigated gall to force her to come with them immediately so she could be "assessed" by the Jedi council. To which she refused and fled. She had ran, _oh how she ran,_ but the Jedi were skilled and had caught her within mere minutes.

Since then, it had been days since she had been holed up in this dreaded vessel. _Days._ She was already so tired of how long each passing moment slowed in a long and tedious cycle, that she lost count on how many escape attempts she tried and how many days, possibly weeks had passed since the two Jedi had unceremoniously plucked her from her daily routine of living on Jakku.

"You are force-sensitive, in fact, you are strong with the force. We were drawn to your presence from a vision felt within the force, the source itself had been you. It is against the code to take on individuals who are far too old to be trained as a Jedi, however, you may be a special circumstance. You...You are considered a vergence, a phenomenon of the force has centered itself around your entirety. I have felt it, there is a strong pull of the force within you, so strong was this pull that I was able to identify your presence within a one hundred and sixty kilometer radius, and so has my apprentice Depa. Therefore, you must return with us to Coruscant, there, you will be able to enter the Jedi Temple where your force sensitivity can be properly assessed."

"Well, I'm not some training dog who should be treated as a pawn in the hands of the Jedi, I'm a human being. So, what makes you think I'm strong with the force? Aren't those who are strong with the force found at an early age and taken from their homes to train? I'm hardly even young anymore, I will be turning nineteen after the next lunisolar rotation."

"That is why you are to be assessed by the council. You won't be necessarily trained, _I hope_...I myself am confounded at the fact that you were not discovered earlier on and how for some strange oddity, you have been out of the Jedi Order's jurisdiction. We feel all things within the force, whether it be the most minuscule of presences, we feel it... However, you—"

"You didn't feel my force presence, right? Maybe I'm just an anomaly, maybe I'm not even force sensitive... You must have made a mistake. Please, return me back to my home," she pleaded.

"My master is never wrong in assessing a presence in the force," another voice piped in, as Depa Billaba came strolling in through the control room threshold.

"Please, just return me home. I have no business with you Jedi."

"As the master of the Order second only to grandmaster Yoda, I can do many things. However, that, I cannot do. The Order cannot ignore any individual who possesses such a strong force sensitivity much like yourself," Mace Windu finished, leaving no further arguments in their discussion.

Rey sighed at this.

* * *

There was a disturbance in the temple, Anakin could feel it in the force.

Most of the Jedi Masters were scrambling about upon the return of Master Mace Windu and the Jedi knight Depa Billaba, the master of the Order's former padawan. There were hushed whispers resonating throughout the halls and Anakin himself had picked up a few of the rumors circulating around, alleging the source of the disturbance after passing two fellow padawans near the corridor veering off the Room of a Thousand Fountains—where he had been meditating for the entire morning. They had murmured in hushed tones about Master Windu returning with a scavenger from his mission in Jakku and apparently, this was no mere scavenger, apparently, this scavenger was strong with the force.

This had piqued the young Skywalker's interest wholeheartedly.

He rushed towards the council meeting room where his own Master would probably be in as well. Obi-Wan Kenobi was to replace the previous seat of Coleman Trebor, therefore he was frequenting many of the meetings until official orders would finally be put in place. Since this was no formal meeting, often times the Jedi Master's would bring their own padawans to the council room. It was an effective way to show their apprentices a glimpse of the Jedi Order's formal sanctions in order for them to familiarize themselves with the Order's internal affairs. Anakin himself wanted to see the source of the commotion and he knew Obi-Wan would have no qualms with his padawan wanting to be by his side.

He entered the council room and immediately spotted his master who had undoubtedly saved a spot for his apprentice to join him. They shared a glance with one another, before the boy solemnly nodded to perch next to his master.

"There's talk within the temple about Master Windu's latest return," Anakin leaned towards the other man and whispered.

"So, there has," Obi-Wan replied with a contemplative glance. "What have you heard?"

"The padawans have been talking of a scavenger in Jakku with sensitivity to the force, is this true master?"

Obi-Wan turned towards his apprentice giving him a leveled gaze, but before he began to speak, the grandmaster Yoda and Mace Windu came striding in the room along with a party of other council members following behind them. The once chatter-filled room grew silent as all its occupants fixated their attention upon the entering party, and above all, at the single girl dressed in standard desert-wear familiar to the wastelands of the desert planet Jakku. Both Anakin and his master began to survey the girl, along with all the other Jedi Master's who had been in the room.

She was all coarse sand and dry heat. A thin, wispy thing with tawny hair, hazel eyes, and dry skin, gilded and tanned like the parched flatlands of the desert, while the eyes were like a mosaic of smooth stones eroded from the hot gusts of dry winds. A light dusting of freckles like sand splayed across the bridge of her nose only making her features more prominent. She was the desert.

All occupants of the room silently watched as Master Windu led the girl towards the center of the room. She trudged with slow, deliberate steps.

Anakin blinked once, eyes narrowed in scrutiny, he blinked twice. Yes, she was the desert indeed.

Despite the inherent diaphanousness of her visage and the feigned meekness of her gait as she ambled towards the center of the room, Anakin saw the markings of a marauder, one who traversed the desert on a daily-basis—it reminded him of himself being that he too had hailed from an impoverished wasteland once upon a time on Tatooine. She looked coarse and rough, the hardened lines on her face gave every indication of this. And indeed, the rumors he had caught wind of were in fact true, for he could feel the strong presence of the force within her as did everyone else in the room. It was strange.

"This here is Rey," Master Windu prompted as he cleared his throat, his hands were clasping the girls shoulder's as she glared at her feet. "I have rescued her from the wasteland in Jakku after sensing a strong pull of the force during my mission. She, I believe, is a vergence."

"A vergence, she is?" Master Yoda queried as he turned his gaze towards the girl.

"Yes, much like our resident padawan Skywalker, perhaps?" Plo Koon, one of the council members, had added.

"Yes, I believe so. Therefore, I have brought her back so we can assess her circumstances while adhering to the code. She may not be granted formal training, however, she has unbridled potential that can be put to use for the Order," Windu continued.

"Grant her training we might, if potential she has. Amongst other things age may be a problem, however," the diminutive green master continued.

"Yes, she is too old..." Master Windu nodded his head in affirmation.

"But you too, have felt a potential. That is why you brought her here, is it not Master Windu?" Obi-Wan finally spoke.

"Indeed, but formal training may prove to be far too difficult for someone to acclimate to at such an old age. All her years without conditioning of our code can lead to many shortcomings if she were to be trained, she could be more susceptible to the dark side," Plo Koon said.

"Yes, that was why I am hesitant with formal Jedi training," Master Windu conceded as he gripped the girl's shoulder.

"A pure heart, she has. No malevolence, I sense. Therefore, no problems we may find."

"May, may I speak?" The girl finally piped, her voice was hesitant and she failed to look anyone in the eye.

All eyes zeroed in on her and a wave of tenseness emanated off of her, which Anakin had caught through the force. He did not know why he was so attuned to her fluctuating emotions, he had been sensing it all the entire time. Her bewilderment, her frustration, her anxiety, everything, had undulated in waves that broke into the zenith of her demeanor. It was all veiled well, however, sheathed in a cover of feigned meekness and demure. He saw it all.

"I-I did not wish to be trained. I only wished to go home... I had no say in this, Mister Jed-I mean, Master Windu simply coerced me into following him. I didn't know I could use the force, I didn't mean to. But, I feel it now, I don't know what to do with it. I feel like it's calling to me, it made me see visions of my past, I don't know how. It's telling me that I belong here, I don't understand any of this," she said in a cracked lilt.

Rey was conflicted, a flurry of thoughts flooded her mind as she bowed her head from the scrutinizing eyes of all the Jedi in the room. She was hesitant at first about the situation in its entirety, deeming it unfair that she had been unceremoniously plucked out of her home world only to be thrust into a difficult situation like this. The Jedi were clearly at odds with her, she could sense an internal conflict within the room as all the members had argued with one another. Despite all this, she could not deny the imperceptible force that had been calling to her ever since she reclaimed her druggats from the pickpocket in Jakku. It was once intangible, this feeling, but as she let it fester within her, inciting many doubts of her previous thoughts of simply wanting to return home, she could not deny how palpable it felt now. _This was the force,_ she knew it. Rey could only wonder why it felt like an awakening within, as if she had somehow been enlightened by a beacon of light that had laid dormant for the past eighteen years of her life. It told her to stay, _maybe she should stay..._

"However, the pressing matter is that you possess a great pull of the force within you. We cannot simply ignore your potential, you could become an excellent warrior if what Master Yoda says is true. A pure heart is the embodiment of the Light side, we as Jedi strive to fight for peace and ultimately balance in the force. You could do great things," Master Windu intoned.

"But if you're so conflicted with my age and not being able to properly keep to this Jedi code, why keep me then?" The girl questioned incredulously.

"You could be an asset to the Order," Another council member offered.

"Yes, she very much could be," Obi Wan agreed.

"So what shall we do Master Windu, Master Yoda?" They all turned towards the two men, seeking their ever-sapient decisions.

"I could train her," he replied and a jumble of whispers erupted within the room. "After all, it was I who found her and brought her here, it may as well be my responsibility. And of course, I will try to condition her to be a great Jedi just as my previous apprentices have been."

Depa Billaba grinned at her master's words and the entire body of both Jedi master's and high council members all nodded in agreement.

"Then train her, you shall," Master Yoda agreed.

"W-What?" Rey squeaked as her jaw dropped to gape at the men.

All eyes turned towards her in a silent nod of approval and in that very moment as she felt her face flush in embarrassment at the situation in its entirety, Rey wished she could just disappear.

* * *

She was led down the vast corridors of the Jedi temple by the man she was to call master, nodding silently each time he spoke to address her about anything and everything. Mace Windu had took it upon himself to personally tour her around the entire temple before showing her to her new living quarters.

"Why?" She finally voiced after only answering with monosyllabic replies their entire interaction. "Why have you brought me here, why have you taken it upon yourself to personally train me? From what I hear, your the Master of the Order—a position that holds a great deal of time consuming responsibility. Yet, you agreed to train me?"

"I saw your force vision," Windu replied in a somber tone. "Not many Jedi have the ability to be able to view a vision within the force experienced by another, but I saw yours. It is a rarity of course. I felt connected to you, oddly enough... I feel as if the force itself has told me to take you under my wing as my padawan."

Mace Windu halted in his steps and turned towards her, gazing at her intently as he did this. "Do you understand, Rey? The force is mysterious in its ways, but when push comes to shove, it reveals many things to those who are privy to it. The force beckoned me to reach out to you, to train you as my pupil. I cannot deny the powers of the force."

"So, is the force an entity? I don't understand how it works, all I can truly do is feel it. It has not revealed anything to me in such a way," Rey frowned.

"In time, you too, will understand the ways of the force. It is an omniscient pull that embeds itself within all living beings, within the very cracks of the universe itself. Those who are gifted with the ability to be attuned to it, become Jedi. We seek to uphold the balance that the force creates."

"So, essentially the force is the balance of the universe, dare I say?"

"In a sense, yes, to put it in the most simplistic view as possible."

"I see..."

"Judging from your earlier words, I must ask, do you truly wish to return home or are you willing to forego training as a Jedi? The choice is entirely up to you now, I cannot force you any longer."

"I-I did say I wished to return home, that much is true..." Rey hesitated. "But... There's something churning inside me, I feel it now, I felt it then in the first moments it revealed itself on Jakku but it was something I couldn't really comprehend much less understand. But being here, being surrounded by people who understand the fundamentals of the force and are able to manipulate it much like I somehow can, I realized that this feeling that had been tugging at me...it's the force, isn't it? I feel like I... I feel as if I should stay."

Mace Windu clasped his hands together and for the first time, from her very first encounter with him, a smile had erupted upon his face. "Well, I suppose I should leave you to rest for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner will be held in the mess hall within another hour, so for now, you are free to do what you wish as long as you stay within the bounds of the temple. Tomorrow is when your training shall begin, so I advise you to eat a good meal and get enough sleep for the day ahead. You will meet me in the Room of a Thousand Fountains where I will teach you meditation and basic force manipulation."

Rey nodded absorbing all the new information. "So, I'm free to do whatever until then?"

"Yes, within the bounds of the temple. If you so happen to get yourself into any trouble, I can sense you through the force and I will most certainly come running—this is my only warning to you, Rey. So behave," her new master chided.

"I will."

"Good. Now, I will show you to your permanent living quarters," he said as he veered off towards another hallway, his robes swishing behind him in his strides.

Rey followed him down a corridor where he informed her all the padawans would reside. It was a small complex of doors that lined a double sided hallway. Windu then ambled towards the very last door that led to the end of the corridor," This will be your room."

The automated doors retracted and Rey tentatively peered in. The sight of four plain white walls, a giant glass window, a small bed furnished in simple white bedsheets, and an unused set of an automated dresser slot built in the walls and its matching vanity met her eyes. Rey whistled as she surveyed her room. It was a luxury compared to her old makeshift home, she had lived in an abandoned ship off the Niima outpost back in Jakku.

"That door next to your bed leads to the bathroom. In there you have your standard shower and toilet. Toiletries and other amenities are already provided, however you can always amass your own collection over time like the other padawans who bring things back from their missions," her master grunted.

"Okay," Rey nodded.

"I'll leave you to it then, heed my advice and eat and get a goodnight's rest. I will see you during dinner," he finished off before exiting her room with the door sliding itself closed.

Rey sighed for what seemed the nth time she had been under the Jedi Temple and slumped on her new bed.

It was an outlandish feeling, actually having a real bed for once, not having some sleeping mat and old blankets to keep her warm. She had never in her life imagined having her own room, much less permanently residing in the Jedi Temple. To be quite frank, she truly believed that she would have been scavenging for the rest of her life. She did not mind it, however, scavenging had been one of the most integral aspects of her very existence—it was necessary for her survival in the wastelands of Jakku being abandoned as a young child. To think that she had just kissed her last chances of doing that was daunting to her to say the least. No longer would she be able to bask in the familiarity of the scorching heat synonymous to her old home, no longer would she have to constantly fight for survival or for food in her stomach.

Things were different, she could feel it.

And now... Now she would be training under the Jedi Order as a padawan, something she would have never even fathomed in her entire life. These last few days since she met Mace Windu and his former apprentice Depa Billaba had completely changed her life and she did not know whether it was for better or for worse. Only time would truly tell.

With a newfound resolve, Rey stood up from her perch and strode to the washroom. All she wanted to do now was wash away all the dirt, grime, and sweat that accumulated on her body and above all, wash away all the burdening thoughts that seemed to weigh so heavily upon her mind.

"You're fine," she told herself in a mantra as she stripped herself of her tattered desert wear and climbed into the shower.

She stared at the knobs in confusion forgetting that she had never used a shower before. Usually in Jakku, she would either rub herself clean with the dry soaps that merchants would sell in the outpost or simply dunk herself in the small oasis pond by her home. Not once had she ever used a shower, it only further supplemented her feelings of being in such an outlandish place. There was a chrome faucet head in the shape of a square hanging above the wall and a multitude of knobs stuck to the shower wall. Curiously, Rey reached towards one of the various knobs and twisted it clockwise. Immediately a stream of freezing water came raining down upon her and she cried out. Quickly, she reached for the knob adjacent from the one she had pulled and twisted it as well, praying that somehow it would fix this mess and much to her relief, the water gradually grew warmer.

Rey sighed to herself dreamily, she decided she liked showers.

After she was done, Rey toweled herself dry from one of the many towels hanging in display next to the shower and ambled back into her bedroom. She perused through the dresser only to find a dozen sets of Jedi robes surprisingly in her size. She wondered idly to herself about how they were able to fully stock her dresser with clothes that fit her size, much less figure out what her size was. Quickly now, she tied her hair back into its usual style and slipped the robes on. She turned towards the vanity mirror on the wall and smiled slightly at how similar the robes were to her old Jakku ensemble.

And then she realized with a frown that she was missing something important... her staff. Master Windu had confiscated it from her while on his ship when they traveled from Jakku back to Coruscant, she wondered if perhaps it was still in his possession.

"I'll just have to go find him then," the brunette muttered to herself.

Rey clicked on the entrance button of her door and cautiously stepped out as it slid open. Without looking she swiftly turned away to head down the hall not before bumping into another figure who had been passing down the hallway as well.

"Ow..." She muttered, rubbing her head as she found herself flat on the ground.

The looming figure she crashed into was also crumpled on the ground, groaning in unison. "You should be more vigilante of your surroundings next time or you might really hurt someone in the future," the clearly male voice muttered in tandem.

Rey looked up, startled at the low timbre his voice held and she unconsciously crawled a few inches back from him. "I'm sorry," she replied, before brushing herself off and standing up.

He was a tall boy, with tanned skin and chestnut hair cut in the standard padawan style—she knew that well seeing as all the padawan boys sported the braid. He opened his eyes and looked up at her with a neutral expression, his cold, gray gaze bore into her.

"I'm a little bit disorientated to begin with, I've been having a rather rough day as it is," Rey continued.

The boy stood up and frowned. "You're the girl, aren't you? The scavenger Master Windu found on Jakku." His voice sounded almost accusatory.

"I'm-I'm nobody."

"No, you're that girl. I was there in the council meeting, my master Obi-Wan is supposed to be replacing the new seat of a previous high council member," his last words were spoken with the utmost pride.

"Alright, so what if I am?" Rey finally retorted, still wary of the boy.

"What's your name?" He queried, bristling past her last statement.

"Why should I tell you?"

"It's best to make allies, especially under your circumstances. And eventually, everyone will most likely know your name. There's no harm in telling me to be honest."

She sighed and for a few passing moments, finally relented. "My name is Rey."

"Rey, just Rey? No surname at all?"

"No, just Rey."

The boy reached how to shake her hand in formal greeting now that they were introducing themselves. She gingerly took ahold of his grasp and shook back. His grip was strong and firm and his hands were calloused to the touch.

"My name's Anakin Skywalker," he said.

* * *

 **Preliminary Notes:**

Rey is a scavenger, born and left on Jakku much like her original background. She is still highly attuned with the force, still a skilled pilot/technician, and still retains all the background skills that has made Rey fundamentally Rey. The only difference is, she is a born into a different era, the era before the rise and fall of the Empire, before the flourish of the New Order, before any of that Galactic political turmoil had spiraled out of control. Therefore, Jakku is not known as a junkyard planet, since no significant battles have occurred there yet. However, this shall be considered pre-TFA Jakku, a desert planet known as being the pinnacle of interplanetary trade and commerce. In its place, the separatists have built an outpost in a remote area within Jakku, which is why we find Mace Windu and his former student investigating the area. There was no possible way I could think of for the Order to allow Rey to be trained as a Jedi knowing that during this era, the Jedi code was stringently adhered to, therefore I simply marked her as a special circumstance, as a vergence. Honestly, this story was created because I simply wanted to test an idea of the sorts out, I wanted to see how it would be like if I thrust Rey into a different era. I hope you enjoyed it thus far and apologize in advance for any logical mistakes I have made, I do not want to disrespect any of the fans who have a strong following to the SW franchise. This is my disclaimer to the previous notion: I'm not adhering to a specific timeline, more so, _I'm not going to adhere to canon with any specific saga._

 **Reviews are much appreciated** _._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Until the Real Thing Comes**

 _"It is natural to believe in God when you're alone—quite alone, in the night, thinking about death."_

* * *

 _Two months later..._

Rey sighed to herself as she heaved the last scraps she had managed to excavate from her recent mission, momentarily stopping in her trek so she could adjust her quarterstaff that had been secured to her back, each time it began to slip as she hunched over in her handiwork.

Master Windu had ordered her to accompany him to scout the southern regions of Akiva where another droid construction facility had been established by the separatists. Only weeks ago had the Order liberated the Separatist main stronghold along with one of the largest droid facilities in the Outer Rim Territories due to the various efforts of a small squadron of two Jedi masters and their padawans in conjunction with an army of a thousand clones.

This auspicious event only further supplemented the notion that the Order was but one step ahead in undercutting the rising rebellion against the Republic.

Despite this, their celebrations were short-lived, as the council had come to a unanimous decision and opted on sending Mace Windu and his pupil to survey the damages left in the Battle of Akiva's wake. As expected, there was nothing but ruins left amongst the battlegrounds—droid scraps, crumbled buildings, and damaged artillery was what met their sight once they stepped off their vessel and into the checkpoint. The mission itself had been running quite smoothly, thus Master Windu had allowed Rey free reign for a few hours as he continued to make his reports.

During that time, the girl had taken it upon herself to scavenge any valuable parts she could find to later tinker with in her spare time on the temple.

Luck had been on her side that day as she had come across a malfunctioning battle droid. Its wiring had been corrupted in battle, however its main processor had been in tact allowing the girl the opportunity to tinker with it.

She eagerly brought it back on board while skillfully avoiding her master's skeptical looks and was currently dragging it across the temple.

Unfortunately, Rey was unable to manipulate the force such that she could levitate heavy duty items like many of the Jedi Masters could, only being able to levitate small items, which was why she was in her current state—though the girl was still managing fairly in her endeavor.

Currently, the padawan had been hauling the broken droid towards the southeastern hangar, informally known as "The Garage," where all the standard space cruisers and vehicles owned by the Order were stored. Rey often found herself frequenting the garage, reveling in the idea of tinkering with some of the engines and modifying small learning ships used for basic piloting lessons for the younglings.

As she turned the corner, continuing to lug the heavy droid shell around, four small children had ran towards her in excitement. She smiled in turn at them, realizing it was some of the few younglings that had come to follow her around ever since she began to permanently reside in the Jedi Temple all those months ago.

"Hi, Rey, whatcha' doin'?" One of the children greeted her—she recalled him to be a young Togruta who went by the name of Quadyr.

"That's a droid, isn't it Rey?" Nairobi, a small human girl she had met on her second day in the temple, chimed in.

Rey grinned at the children as she straightened herself up, all the while dumping the bot unceremoniously towards the floor. "It's just some scraps I found on my mission in Akiva, I was going to bring it to the garage to fix it and possibly modify it."

A loud frenzy of chatter erupted amongst the younglings. "Can we help you?" One of the children questioned eagerly as they gradually hushed down.

"Mm, I'm afraid not, children. This here is a battle droid, meaning at its current state with its current programming, it could be highly volatile. If I were to rewire it into proper functioning again, chances are, it might still be wired with its core directives—to attack. I don't want to risk your safety," Rey said with an apologetic smile.

A series of grunts in contempt had swept throughout the group of younglings and Rey frowned.

She kneeled down to meet them in eye-level now. "I'll tell you what, even though you can't help me fix this old thing, I'll let you lot accompany me towards the garage instead."

She reasoned that this option would appease the younglings knowing that the children loved to follow her around anyways. A compromise was necessary, for she felt a little remorse at having turned down their offer in the first place—she knew first-hand how it felt to be disappointed being that she was an orphan who had raised herself in planet full of hardships and the like.

As it was, the children had eagerly agreed and soon a line of four younglings had trailed after Rey in her effort to transport her damaged droid to the hangar.

For what seemed to be like forever, Rey had finally led the children, who had decided collectively to help carry the damaged droid shell with her to the garage, and with a heavy sigh in relief she dropped it on to the floor once more.

"Alright kids-" she turned towards the children "-I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave... I made my promise and so have you and we've made it to the hangar now."

"Aww, but c'mon, Rey, don't you need help carrying the droid in?" Quadyr pouted as his lower lip stuck out petulantly.

"Yeah, Rey, please!" The other children whined altogether.

"Cheeky brats,"she grinned mischievously before flicking the Togruta boy on the nose. " I was doing fine on my own before you lot decided to help."

"Please?"

All four of the younglings fixed her with wide, pleading eyes—an effective tactic she would often use herself as a youth back in Jakku in order to manipulate many of the Junk bosses and traders she would come across. She knew that look well.

Before she began to speak, the droid slowly began to levitate from the ground, halting her in her words as another voice appeared from the threshold of the hangar.

"Don't worry, young ones, I'll help Rey bring it in," a deep, male timbre reverberated past her.

Rey abruptly turned around and was met with the familiar steel-grey gaze of Anakin Skywalker as he ambled towards her and the younglings.

His hand was gestured out as he levitated the droid with ease, making Rey frown at his natural prowess. She knew it was against the code for Jedi to feel any emotions close to envy since it caused them to become more susceptible into turning that envy to hate and hate led towards a malicious path down the dark side...but, despite knowing this, she just could not help being a bit jealous at how manipulating the force came so easily to the supposed _"Chosen One."_

"Thanks," she muttered to him before turning towards the children and shooing them away.

Now all that was left was an empty spaceship hangar, a broken droid, and two padawans that stood in a tense silence.

Truth be told, after Rey's first encounter with the young Skywalker, they had not interacted since, even after their informal introduction. She knew it would have been best to maintain a few allies the same age as her, however, Rey found herself befriending the younger padawans rather than the rest. Much to her dismay, it was quite difficult to not do so, being that the padawans who were her age never really tried to reach out to her, if anything most had avoided her.

All except Anakin Skywalker.

"You're, uh, pretty popular with the younglings," he finally spoke as a small smile broke upon his visage.

"Yeah, I suppose so... I find them more agreeable to be around than the... _others_ ," she sighed as she followed him through the rows of ships that lined the garage while he continued to levitate the droid.

"Kids tend to be, I guess. They're young, they don't really have any biases or pretenses against anyone, really. Things like that grow overtime as you get older. The older padawans simply distance themselves away from you out of wariness. Don't pay them too much attention, they don't know any better," he shrugged with a sympathetic smile.

"So, why haven't you joined the majority?"

"I know how it feels, I came here pretty late myself. Not as late as you, but still considered to be too old to be a Jedi apprentice. A lot of the other padawans sort of alienated me, but I always had my master to lean on, so I didn't really care. But you—you have Master Windu and I know he's a busy man, so he probably isn't around as much as you'd like, huh?"

"Well, yeah..."

It was true, Master Windu was gone more often than not whenever he was not teaching her lessons. He brought her with him to many of his missions and most of his other political appointments and congregations, however, there were many that she could not accompany him on, due to the sensitivity of each mission. Therefore, she was often times left by herself in the temple ignoring most of the other Jedi. In short, she was unintentionally beginning to estrange herself.

"Which brings me to my original question, why were you trying to drag a broken droid across the hangar?" Anakin queried as he crossed his arms around himself, an inquisitive look was forming on his countenance.

"I wanted to see if I could modify it... And from the looks of it, seeing that its main processor is completely intact, I reckon I could rewire its core directives and change it into... Hm, let's see... A service bot, perhaps?"

"A service bot?"

"Yes, a service bot. Though, I know things like that aren't really needed here in the temple, I just wanted to mess around with the droids wiring. I thought maybe if I found some sort of other outlet to change it towards, then I could have an excuse to tinker with it," she replied absentmindedly as she ambled towards the tool shed of the hangar that stood across from them.

"And I thought that maybe, you know, I could get a glimpse of the internal wiring that the separatists implanted in these droids... It would help a great deal to see if I could reroute the source of the core directives from the Separatists main computer. After all, these droids should've been given an artificial intelligence chip programmed from a main source—I think if I'm able to reroute the programming on this bot, I could track down their main supercomputer and who knows what information that could hold...but this is really more of a far-fetched idea if anything."

"Hm, clever."

"I suppose..." she replied as she kneeled on the floor and promptly began to dismantle the droid with a pair of sonic pliers she had found. "But first, I'm going to have to dissect the main processor."

Anakin continued to stand there watching as she tinkered with the droid's internal controllers, but all her attention was being fixated at meticulously prodding at the various wires that comprised its process control.

"You're going to have to hook the controller to a computer if you want to rewire the droid's core directives. You can do this by locating its processing interface—models like this battle droid here fall into the family of the B1 units. They often have their control systems near the actuator," he supplied as he kneeled over to inspect her work.

Rey's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she heard the boy. "Looks like you know a thing or two... So the actuator, it's that cylindrical object, right? The one with the rotor?" Her pliers drifted off towards the object itself pointing at it to indicate whether or not she was right.

"Yep, that's the one. Now you're probably going to find the processing interface right under it, you can go ahead and hook it up to a computer to start decoding the core directives."

"I knew that," she muttered under her breath, before reaching into her satchel and pulling out her portable HoloPad and plugging the interface wires of the droid into her own hard drive.

"So..." She said idly as she began to decode the droid's processing unit "...What brought you down to the garage, anyways?"

"I was just trying to modify my space cruiser all of this afternoon, until I heard you and the younglings that is."

"Have a knack for piloting I suppose?"

"Yeah, you could say it's a hobby."

"Huh, same here," she laughed as she continued to match the various codes that appeared on her HoloPad.

"Looks like we might have a lot in common. I haven't met any other padawans who're interested in piloting and engineering. I like to fix up droids myself, it was another hobby I had as a kid. I even built a service bot out of spare parts from a protocol droid when I was eight, I named him C-3PO."

"Hn, a bonafide prodigy..." She rolled her eyes. "Can't say I'm a bit envious of your skill. I couldn't fully build a full functioning droid until I was fifteen and the only reason why I did so was to sell it for a few druggats back on Jakku. It was a translator droid, able to translate and communicate with over six thousand and five hundred-fifty languages and dialects found across the entire star system... I never named it, though."

"Envy isn't a good thing...besides, from what I can tell right now, you know your way with modifying droids probably just as well as I do.

"I guess... Honestly, I feel as if I only have a basic grasp. When I started to fix and build droids, it was only out of sheer necessity and a small dose of boredom. I haven't truly got in depth with it, I mean, I didn't even known how to properly identify an actuator until a few moments ago with your help..." She frowned. "How? How do you know so much?"

"Living on Tatooine taught me a few tricks here and there. My first unit, C-3PO, was modified to withstand the environment in Tatooine and his main directive was to help my mother..."

Rey furrowed her eyes in confusion, before realizing his words.

 _Of course he had a mother_...one that he remembered.

After all, the boy had became a padawan when he was nine, therefore he must have been exposed to a different life all those years prior to his apprenticeship—he must have had a real life too, much like her.

"You...you still remember your mother?" She questioned hesitantly as she gently placed her sonic pliers down to turn towards him and look him in the eye in forlorn.

His face was neutral, just as it always was, but Rey could feel the carefully veiled remorse that had been burgeoning underneath. It made her feel so sad, _so very, very sad._

"Of course I remember my mother, I think about her every single day. I think about my life on Tatooine, it was a lot like yours from what I've heard about you. They say you were a scavenger, trying to make ends meet near a trading post. There's a lot of stories that go around here, and I can't help but be reminded of my time on Tatooine. It was rough, my mother and I had to salvage what we could to survive since...we were slaves—"

"You were a slave?"

"Yes, my mother and I were...I had been born into slavery, that was the only life I knew until Master Obi-Wan and his former master found me on Tatooine. They emancipated me and took me back here to Coruscant. As-As for my mother I don't know what has become of her..."

"I'm sorry, I can't imagine being in that same position. I—"

"But see, that's why I understand how it was like for you, for the both of us. Living on Tatooine, Jakku, places like that produce damaged people and circumstances like ours have led us to know how it's truly like to survive. The other padawans here, they don't have a clue. This life here, is a life full of luxury, but I know better, _we_ _know better,_ than to take any of this for granted. That's why..."

"Yes, I know, it's strange to meet someone here who too has bore a life under the same circumstances. However, I was alone in Jakku, waiting for my..." She paused, wondering whether or not it would be okay for her to speak of her most intimate secret, lest she cause all the long-repressed memories to resurface all over again.

"Well, and that's why I wanted to go back because...because I thought maybe one day my family would return for me, if I waited longer maybe then... But they never really did come back. I was all alone, I had to learn how to survive on my own—I had no help. That's why things like this, fixing droids, modifying things, it comes as a second sense, one that I can rely on to appease both my boredom and help me survive. It was a rough life out there."

"I understand," he nodded his head solemnly.

They stared at one another in silence, a mutual look of understanding passed between them and then it felt as if the cogs were turning in place. She could feel it, she felt connected. It was a feeling unlike any other after having spent the majority of her life alone. This was a boy who understood her sorrow, this was someone who could empathize with her plight.

For once, she flashed a true, genuine smile at him—all of the last vestiges of her hope, wonder, and understanding had been poured into that one smile. She could only hope that the boy would realize how much his words meant to her. And as they gazed intently into each other's eyes, hovering over the broken battle droid, both had agreed internally that this was the onset of a great friendship. Anakin grinned back at her in turn.

"I don't um, really go on spilling my life story, let alone my past, to anyone so... Please keep this between us," he said quietly.

She beamed at him before reaching out to shake his hand. "You have my word."

Suddenly the main compressor of the droid they were hovering over combusted in itself causing a series of sparks to fly all over and their hands retracted immediately.

Rey scrambled away with a half shriek laughing all the while as Anakin simply stood on his perch chuckling.

"That. Did. Not. Happen," she laughed while wiping a tear away from her eye, she watched as his chuckles burst into a loud chortle. Soon the entire hangar was filled with the sound of their laughter.

* * *

 _Meet me at the Room of a Thousand Fountains on the fourth floor where the stonewall bridge meets the waterfall..._

That is what Mace Windu had told her. She had heard him, or more so felt him, calling out to her through the force—which became one of their primary sources of communication as the days rolled by and she became more attuned to the force itself.

She had just finished modifying the droid she had found earlier with Anakin, albeit with an unsuccessful outcome since rerouting the main processor of the machine to the separatist computer itself proved to be far too complex for either of them to even complete. There were just too many firewalls set up for them to even attempt to bypass.

Thus, the two had set aside that project for later and ended up simply sitting down and talking in the hangar for hours.

That is, until her master had called her to meet with him. She could only guess that he just returned from his latest congregation with the Republic senators caucus in the Capitol.

Just as expected, Rey spotted the man standing solemnly by himself near the junction between the bridge and the waterfall, a contemplative look was set like stone upon his features.

She approached him in silence, knowing that he had probably sensed her the moment she stepped onto the Room of a Thousand Fountains' fourth floor.

"Good evening, master," she greeted.

"Good evening, Rey. I apologize for the short notice earlier, I didn't know that my meeting with the senators would be longer than I expected," Master Windu replied with a light smile.

"What did you wish to speak of, master?"

"Rey... I know that you are aware about the fact that you have not been given a lightsaber-" her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the topic her master decided to raise "- Moreover, you haven't been given the chance to build your own lightsaber."

"I know, I just never really minded it to be quite honest."

"Be that as it may, I had been putting it off initially until you finally had a basic grasp on force manipulation, meditation, and the like. And now, I've seen immense progression with your lessons. I believe it's time to start training you in your sparring skills."

"Master I—"

"Yes, I know... I am quite aware of your natural adeptness in combat. I saw your skills firsthand on our first meeting in Jakku and the many times you tried to escape the boarding ship," he chuckled at the memory causing Rey to blush in embarrassment. "But, I think it's time to teach you how to wield a saber because frankly, your staff will not always be effective in real battle."

"But, that means, I'm going to have to build my own saber and to build my own saber, I'm going to have to obtain a Kyber crystal. The closest planet I can find them on is Ilum and that's way out in the Unknown regions, on, on the other side of the star system!"

"Precisely, my padawan, you are correct in your analysis," he replied cryptically.

"Meaning, you want me to travel out the Outer rims, right?" She sighed.

"Correct."

"Will you be joining me, master?"

"You will be set to leave in a matter of three weeks and unfortunately, I will be away on a mission with master Yoda. In consequence, this is a mission I cannot accompany you on as much as I wish to do so."

"So, three weeks? Shall I prepare for anything then, I wish to be able to know some precautions since this will be my first mission alone if that's alright with you."

"Certainly," her master nodded before pulling out a holopad to reveal an outline of the Unknown quadrant in which Ilum revolved in.

"Once you travel out in to the territories outside of Coruscant, you will have to bypass a few planets that line the Outer Rim and beware of rogue ships on your path—pirates have been frequenting the area in Lothal since its political infrastructure has been growing less and less stable. Which is why I want you to have a knight accompany you on your journey, I am giving you permission to ask of our knights to come with you so as long as you follow my directions and come back safe. I expect to return from my mission to find you with a lightsaber, do you understand?"

"Yes, master."

"Excellent," he grinned. "Now, why don't we practice on your meditation before dinner starts?"

Rey could only nod her head eagerly as she followed her master towards the edge of the waterfalls to commence with her lessons.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Reviews are very much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Can the Circle be Unbroken?**

 _"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."_

* * *

As the last vestiges of the night's black ebony veil began to give way for the small tendrils of the dawning sun to peek through its cracks, the Jedi temple soon became basked with a thin film of sunlight. Its giant pillars that lined the main hall casted shadows on the floors as rose-tinted and amber rays of light coalesced throughout the edifice altogether in a beautiful symphony of light and darkness coming to a resounding clash. They fought endlessly, overpowering the other in a cycle of good and evil, black and white, unending, yet short lived. Who would be the victor in this endless debacle with both the energy of sunlight scintillating over the shadows casted by the twinkling tranquility of night in their clamor?

They collided, clashed, fought, in an unforgiving and all the more endless cycle that would continue to stand the test of time. The light swirled with the darkness, dark shadows illuminated by wisps of glowing white in a haunting portrait that depicted the gilded scale of all balance tipping back and forth in a struggle for power. It swirled and swirled like a maelstrom dividing the equilibrium that was both night and day. The tussle seemed to go on forever as it would for eternity and beyond, day and night, day and night. And where the grand monoliths that stood tall under the ceiling, pale ivory and imposing were, the battle had been won and light had prevailed over the darkness of night now bathing the lands in its gift of sunlight and rebirth, marking the first hours of the morning.

It was the dawn of a new day.

* * *

 _She came to him in a dream like a whisper of promises that beckoned him since the moment he met her all those ten years ago as a mere child born into slavery. Her long brown hair glimmered in the sunlight pooling in perfectly pinned curls that framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes, the most gorgeous shade of burnt sienna and her lips, a perfect pout kissed lightly in pink. She took his breath away, just as she did when he had first met her on Tatooine and once again as they crossed paths in the Capitol. She was all lush gardens and bright sunshine, calming yet ethereal. She was the most perfect emulation of the pastoral lands of Naboo—lush, green, and full of life. Padmé—her voice, her smile, the way she spoke, was the epitome of what he thought heaven should be. She called out to him, her voice all light wisps of air and the flutter of the breeze, calling to him like a sweet melody. He wanted to hear her over and over, he swore that he could listen to her voice all day. She beckoned him with saccharine words, dripping thick with honey, calling his name. He wanted to be near her, wanted to chase her down to the ends of the universe._

 _He felt as if he was running now. He jumped, scuttled, pushing faster and faster as his legs carried him uphill towards something so familiar... Something so fleeting, yet palpable all the same—enough that he felt if he were to just reach out, he could grasp it. It was almost there, he was almost there. With each thrust of his legs, as he pumped forward, muscles moving, sinews stretching, breath hitching in his lungs with each labored intake, bringing fire into the pit of his heaving chest, he felt a sense of purpose. Alas, her voice seemed to be calling further and further away with each step. He just could not catch up to her, she was the embodiment of heaven, a spectre, a lost soul drifting in the infinite void of everything and nothingness._

 _Absolutely lost in the world, he resigned in contempt, for heaven was too far to reach._

Anakin shot up from his bed, chest heaving, breath labored, with a thin bead of sweat accumulating on his forehead. He swallowed the thick lump in his throat, trying to remember what had caused him to wake up so tense and almost, almost frightened. It was the dream again, he was sure, the one that plagued him every night for the past few weeks. He knew it well. His tired gaze traveled towards his window and he dully noted the pink and orange hues that indicated the first few hours of sunrise. The boy closed his eyes, trying in vain to clear away the myriad thoughts that buzzed through his mind. He just could not.

With a sigh in resignation, Anakin threw the covers off of himself and marched out of his room with only one thought in mind. He needed to talk to Rey, he needed to hear the voice of reason, someone who could calm the storm that was brewing within with as much pragmatic words as he needed. Above all, he needed someone to vent his frustrations to. And he knew, that much like the many times before since they had developed a tentative friendship, that Rey would lend him her ear. He could trust her on that.

* * *

Like always, Rey rose with the sun, just as the the orange hues of dawn would break into the black sheath that marked the night sky. She slowly roused herself from the warm comfort of her bed, stretching the sleep away from her bones, before making her way towards the washroom for a quick shower to start the day. After successfully cleaning herself, the girl had wrapped herself into a bathrobe given to her by her master from his last trip to Naboo where he had frequented a spa resort in particular—to which she laughed at when he told her. Rey could wholeheartedly agree to the notion that the stoic man, was beginning to crack as he allowed her under his wing. He was like family to her now since starting her apprenticeship all those months ago, and maybe, just maybe, he had felt the same way too— if the small tokens of familial concern and rare kind gestures he would show her on a scant few occasions held any indication of this.

So there she was, sauntering around in her room, not quite ready to slip on her Jedi robes to promptly start her day, and rather opting out on watching the sun gently rise from the city's horizon. This had become part of her morning routine, observing everything and anything that went on outside her opened window. She reveled in basking in the familiar warmth of the dawning sun in juxtaposition with the crisp morning air that swept through her body, inciting chills from within. She enjoyed the soft melody of tweeting birds that resonated through the air, basked in the innate serenity gifted upon her by the early morning. During this time, the city that surrounded the temple was much more peaceful, there was no noise of airspeeders breaking through the wind, there were no sounds of people hustling and bustling through the streets. It was simply calm and quiescent. Rey closed her eyes as she leaned on her perch atop the windowsill only to inhale a deep sigh in contentment. There was nothing but the lovely sound of silence. She wanted it to stay like this forever.

However, her moment of tranquility had been short-lived as a knock on the door resounded throughout her bedroom.

"Who's there?" She called out, peeking one eye open towards the door.

"Good Morning, it's me Anakin," the voice called back. "Uh, may I come in?"

Surprised at this revelation, Rey could only stay frozen in her place atop the windowsill.

It had been over three weeks since they had began a budding friendship. Often times, he would seek her out during the day simply to talk or spar or even eat lunch. She had learned a great deal about him, not just his background, but of the aspects of Anakin that made him inherently him. He would tell her about his interests, his dislikes, and on rare occasions, his strange dreams. And in turn, Rey would do the same. They confided in one another, two anomalies within the confines of such an immense temple full of hundreds of people, once alone, but now together. Never in her life had she been able to actually have a true, living, breathing, friend—one whom she could connect with on a basic level of mutual understanding unlike the droids or animals she would talk to exclusively back on Jakku.

Rey turned away from her window. "Go ahead, you can come in!"

The doors automatically slid back revealing the towering figure of Anakin Skywalker still clad in his nightwear. He strode in tentatively before giving her a silent look in prodding that looked as if it were asking if he could sit down. She nodded in affirmation and he followed in suit, slowly descending upon her bed.

"Hiya, Skywalker," she began with a grin. "So, what's got you looking all riled up this morning? It looks as if you barely just rolled out of bed!"

"That's because I did," he replied monotonously. His face was worn, hair disheveled, and tired dark bags hung under his eyes confirming her suspicions.

Her smile disappeared and Rey found herself standing up from the windowsill and crossing her arms, only to quickly make her way towards her friend. A worried expression appeared on her features as she sat across the boy to place a placating hand atop his shoulder. "What happened?"

"I just..." He brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I think something's wrong with me. It started a few days ago when I, uh, went on a mission with Obi-Wan in the city. We were supposed to guard the senator from Naboo and—"

"Oh, Senator Padmé Amidala, right? I heard that she was visiting the Capitol. Master Windu informed me that there were a great deal of assassination threats circulating around her...I could only hope things don't escalate from there."

"Well, they're not just threats anymore, they've turned into attempts now."

"That can't be good, I hope she's alright," Rey gasped at his words before coming to her senses. "Oh, wait, I'm sorry. I cut you off, didn't I? Uh, carry on, what were you about to say?"

"...You see, Padmé, she was one of the first people I met out of Tatooine when I was nine. She was so nice and so pretty and just... I couldn't help but grow attached -" Rey's eyes widened at his words, she knew that this spelled out for trouble since attachment could develop into infatuation and infatuation could later develop into love. And all of that went against the Jedi code that her master had taken upon himself to drill in her head, it was forbidden. "- and when I saw her again, I just couldn't stop thinking about her. It's been ten years since I saw her as a child and now that we're older, I just can't help but feel... It's wrong I know, but I think she's consuming my every thought."

"Oh no, Skywalker, you must not think this way. All of this, that-that goes against the code. We cannot grow... _attachments_."

"I know, gods, I know... But I just can't help it, I can't help myself. She's just so... And then this dream was just..."

"Dream? What dream?"

"I had the strangest dream... I dreamt of her last night and I know with every fiber of my being that it's wrong. Master has been growing worried about me, I know that he knows, but he just hasn't said anything. His silence is more unbearable than his acknowledgement. I can see it in his eyes, like he's, like he's silently judging me with every glance. And these dreams, they've been plaguing me all this morning and-and I needed to find someone to talk to because if not, I feel like it's going to eat away at my mind and I just-I just—"

Rey closed her eyes to inhale sharply. "Okay, Skywalker, let's think rationally about this, alright?" She said slowly. "...I know how easy it is to feel emotions like this, we just can't help it, we don't have the advantage of having a Jedi upbringing much like the rest of the padawans. At times, I too fall susceptible to emotions that go against our master's teachings, envy being one of the most prevalent loathe I admit it -" Rey shifted her gaze away from him in slight embarrassment "- However...those feelings, go against the code. You cannot sacrifice your life as a Jedi for trivialities like this, that's what I've come to realize every time I feel the pull of emotions like this ebbing away at my mind. We are apart of something of a much larger scale in the grand scheme of all things. We were specially chosen by the force, granted with the ability to feel and understand things beyond normal comprehension. As Jedi, we must sacrifice all other emotions, all other vices, in order to uphold the balance within the force. We simply cannot go against the code that was placed upon all Jedi in order to maintain all things from descending into chaos. It's-It's wrong."

"Ugh, I know! If I wanted to read over the basic rules set by the Jedi code, I would've asked!" He barked.

Rey frowned. "Look, I'm simply trying to help you see reason in all of this. This is what you wanted, was it not? I lent you my ear, now it's your turn to do the same, so please, please listen to what I have to say—whether you like it or not."

He kept silent at this, an apologetic look appeared on his countenance. "I'm sorry, I just... What should I do? I want be around her, I want to talk to her, to be near her, to touch her—this is all wrong. It's tormenting me, my mind is going crazy. I can't stop thinking about her."

Rey seized his hand, squeezing it tightly in reassurance. "Time and distance can help appease these feelings. Distancing yourself from her presence can allow you some space to mull things over. See through reason, take a more logical approach, to assess these feelings. Distance will allow you some time. And...time...time heals all things. You should know that by now, we've both lived a life of hardships, but time has allowed us to forgive and forget."

"I..." He paused before gazing intently at her, a small smile graced his lips as he did this and he gingerly squeezed her hand back. "Thank you, Rey. Thanks for listening and for offering your advice."

"You're welcome... And I solemnly swear that not one word of what has transpired here is ever spoken out of this room or between you and I."

"Thanks, you always have the right thing to say and I just...I just couldn't bottle it up anymore, especially with those dreams. Master Obi-Wan would be terribly angry if he knew..."

"I understand. I have those feelings too sometimes, I really do. Sometimes I can feel those small traces of envy, of anger, of fear—it's only normal to feel this way. But as Jedi, we aren't considered to be normal even though, you and I were unfortunately exposed to different lives before joining the Order. I'm used to constantly letting emotions like that control me, like, like any other normal person."

"Yeah..."

"But, you know, that why now I understand why the council was so hesitant in allowing me formal training. And that's exactly why I want to strive to prove them wrong. That's why _we_ should strive to become the best Jedi knights we can be, foregoing these emotions is the best thing we can do."

Anakin sighed at her words, Rey could see every bit of his frustration pour out into his grim face. "But, that's what makes me so angry. Why do we have to repress all our emotions? Why can't we just embrace them for what they are? These codes are—"

"Are put in place to prevent from all things tending to disorder and chaos. The code is what keeps the light in balance, we cannot deny that." She felt as if she was reiterating every word her Master had continued to tell her time and time again.

"It's just...sometimes I wish that we didn't have to listen to all these stupid codes. Wouldn't we as Jedi be stronger if we were allowed to embrace our emotions, to allow these feelings to drive us on our path in using the force?"

"N-No, that..." _That was a bit dark_ was what she wanted to say, but she knew better than to anger the boy and decided to ignore her own thoughts. "You shouldn't think that way, Skywalker, ideas like that are dangerous. You can't just forego all your training just because you fancy a woman," she warned.

"Well, what if I-" he paused slightly, seeming to mull his words over, a malicious glare overcame his features this time and his expression was haunting. _What? What if he what?_ She wondered to herself, silently praying that the boy was not thinking what he ought to not be. She knew Anakin was a rebel at heart, it was only fitting after having been chained to the heavy burden of slavery in his youth—she herself had been lucky enough to evade any slave traders that had even stepped foot in Jakku. Some were not. Anakin and his mother were not. And that was what she believed to be the root of all problems, his past must have been the flint and steel that ignited the burning wonder that made him into the maverick he was. Oppression only led to the need for liberation, and the Jedi code did nothing but. She wondered if it were truly the best idea for the Order to try to tie down such a wild soul.

"You know, what? You're right, Rey. I-I don't know what came over me. I'm gonna take your advice and, and distance myself..." He said quietly, breaking her from her reverie. His once malignantly cloudy gaze had seemingly vanished, as if the clouds had parted in the sky after an unrelenting storm, revealing the usual brightness of his gray eyes.

She looked up to meet his stormy gaze and sighed in relief while he simply sat in silence. And try as she might to ignore the sulking boy, Rey knew he had plenty more to say but was simply waiting for her to prod him further. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Alright, speak up, I know you have something else to say, Skywalker..."

"Well... I...uh, I don't know how I can keep my distance from, _all of this,_ since Master and I will be continuing on our assignment with Padmé and finding her assassins. I mean, I did promise her that we'd find her attackers, what am I supposed to do now? I know if I keep coming back to her, things'll only get worse. I won't be able to ignore it any longer...Ugh, I shouldn't have made those promises, I know Obi-Wan put those parameters up for a reason... I just wasn't thinking again."

"Oh, that is a bit of a problem."

"Well, w-what should I do?"

"Hmm, how about this, why don't you do me a solid and come with me to Ilum tomorrow instead? It'll be a week's long journey, possibly. I was supposed to go to the ice caves to gather a piece of Kyber crystal for my next assignment...Master Windu said I should have a knight accompany me... But, you're probably the closest thing to a knight I know and I reckon I ought to go with someone I trust rather than someone I barely know. I could consult this with my master and yours, I know that most of the time Master Windu's word takes precedence over all others. I'm sure they'll allow it..." She rambled on.

"Oh, that's right. You haven't even built your own lightsaber yet..."

"I know that," Rey felt her cheeks flush at his words as they took a quick jab at her own pride. She felt as if she was not genuine in her endeavors as a Jedi apprentice if she did not possess a lightsaber and it was if he was rubbing salt to the wound.

However, Anakin had felt her dismay through the force and he gave her yet another apologetic look. "Well, sometimes I forget you don't have one because you're always carrying your staff around, so the fact that you haven't been wielding a saber kinda' flew right past me to be honest," he shrugged before quickly adding. "Not like you really, really need one to begin with since you are pretty adept with your combat skills... For a girl."

"Hey!" Rey hit him lightly over the head.

"W-Well... I didn't mean it that way, if that's what you're thinking. I mean, girls fight good too, I'm sure."

"Oh, just shut up, Skywalker. I told you, you should think before you speak and find the most rational thing to say before you go out blabbering complete bollocks to everyone you meet," she laughed.

He laughed at her words in turn and Rey knew that he had just silently agreed with her this time, despite the many times he would try to prove her wrong. For instance, she had expected him to react to her last jibe, but as she waited for his retort, it did not come—only a small laugh. Rey felt a small sense of pride knowing that she made the ever-arrogant Skywalker admit to his own shortcomings. She gazed at him wistfully as he continued to laugh, his once tense posture more lax as he set himself comfortably atop her mussed bedsheets.

"You know, it's funny," he said," Ever since you've been keeping me in check, I've come to a conclusion..."

"And what sort of conclusion is that, pray tell?"

He slumped carelessly on her bed with his arms crossed underneath him as he let out a breathy sigh. "I say a lot of stupid things."

"Damn right you do, Skywalker."

 _Damn right, you do..._

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi strolled down the Jedi corridors with a curious expression etched upon his face. He was called in by Master Yoda this afternoon since apparently, Master Windu had specifically ordered for him to discuss something over the comlink. He could only hope that it had nothing to do with Anakin, it seemed that nowadays, the boy was constantly being brought up as a topic within the council. And as the man turned a corner to finally enter into the threshold of the two masters informal meeting room, Obi-Wan was met with the sight of an impassive master Yoda perched upon a chair as if in waiting and a hologram of Mace Windu sitting across from him.

"Good afternoon," both master Yoda and master Windu greeted in tandem.

"Ah, yes, good afternoon master Yoda, master Windu. May I ask why you two have requested my presence today? I hope it hasn't anything to do with my padawan or perhaps our mission with the senator," he replied almost worriedly.

"Oh, it has everything to do with just that," Windu replied with a solemn expression and Obi-Wan could only gulp nervously at this.

"...Did he, did he do something wrong again?"

"Nothing, he has committed. Only a favor, master Windu wishes to ask of you," the diminutive green man assured.

"Indeed, it is a small favor..." The other man confirmed. "As I was having my daily discussion with Rey through the com center, she brought up a particular topic in regards to my upcoming mission for her. It seems that my padawan wishes for Anakin to accompany her to Ilum rather than one of our other Knights. I agreed upon this request, however, I am aware that you are still in the midst of finishing an assignment regarding the Senator of Naboo..."

"Well, yes, we are..." Obi-Wan replied. He could only frown at the reason why they were still continuing with this assignment, because his padawan had went against his better judgment and allowed his emotions to get the best of him and make empty promises that the Order could not entirely fulfill. "But..."

"But...?" Master Yoda reiterated in question.

"But... I think Anakin is no longer suitable for the mission anyways, so... I suppose he can accompany Rey to Ilum instead while I sort the rest out when the senator returns to Naboo."

"Ah, so you have agreed then?"

"Yes, Anakin may go. But I still have one pressing matter to deal with—"

"Worry, you shall not. Reassigned you with another master who can accompany you on your mission, I have. Agreed upon this, Shaak Ti has," Yoda replied before Obi-Wan could even ask.

"Shaak Ti has agreed to help? My, that will help immensely," the man whistled.

"Yes. Well now that all parties have agreed upon these decisions, I believe it is time to wrap up our discussion. You are to continue to seek out Senator Amidala's assassin while Shaak Ti will escort her back to her homeworld in Naboo in place of your padawan. Any other questions, comments, or possible objections you have to your assignment Obi-Wan?" Master Windu continued with a solemn nod.

"No, I have no objections," the man quickly replied.

"Good," Yoda nodded. "You are dismissed."

Obi-Wan bowed his head in exit and ambled away towards the door.

"And Obi-Wan, one more thing!" He heard Master Windu call out from behind him and Obi-Wan eagerly turned towards the man.

"Yes, Master Windu?"

"May the force be with you," the man intoned.

Obi-Wan bowed his head in thanks before filing out of the room.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Because I believe that eventually, Rey will see Mace as the father-figure she never had the way she saw Han so quickly and because this a romance story first and foremost, therefore it will be centered around Her and Anakin's interactions, plus more—adventure will ensue as well, don't fret.


End file.
